RC says that breaking up with RJ was hard to do

Spurs Nation never really gravitated to Richard Jefferson during his two-plus seasons with the Spurs.

But trading Jefferson to Golden State for Stephen Jackson was a difficult decision for the Spurs to make, according to Spurs general manager R.C. Buford.

“When you’ve been in the trenches with someone and during that time, we’ve had success that the team had with Richard,” Buford said. “Not only that, the relationships he’s built within our team and our community. This is a very positive person and it’s never easy when changes are made like this.”

Buford also praised the contributions that Jefferson has made to the team during his time with the Spurs.

“We appreciate the great work that Richard did while we were here in San Antonio,” Buford said. “We won a lot of games with Richard and are looking forward to what new opportunities come with Stephen being in our program.”